HuaYu: The most muscular director in history!

8 PM Beijing time.

On the city roads of the Fourth Ring Road.

The traffic lights were changing very slowly, and through the windshield, you could see flashing red taillights.

Xiao Li flicked the cigarette between two fingers outside the car window.

Normally, if he encountered such a traffic jam, he would probably have already started cursing and swearing.

But tonight, upon hearing the quiet intro of this song, he inexplicably fell silent.

"That's the person I miss and love deeply day and night~"

As soon as he opened his mouth, Xiao Li felt a chill run down his spine.

What kind of singing is this?

It's like eating the "38-year-old talented but unappreciated middle-aged man's food," full of bitterness and sorrow.

Wait, am I only thirty-eight years old?

How should I express myself? Will she accept me?

[Maybe I'll never say those words to her...]

"Hiss...whoosh!"

Taking a deep drag, Xiao Li tossed the burnt-out cigarette butt out the window, picked up a cigarette with his right hand, and prepared to light another one.

Just then, I felt a sudden tugging sensation on my shoulder.

Looking back, I saw a customer in the back seat leaning out and saying, "Give me one."

Xiao Li was taken aback.

It's not that I'm reluctant to part with this cigarette.

"Zhongnanhai cigarettes, the soft pack, aren't good to smoke."

"Same!"

Xiao Li nodded and put one in his mouth.

The two lit cigarettes, and soon a cloud of smoke rose into the car.

“Ding Di—”

A piercing horn blared from behind the car, accompanied by the driver's furious curses.

"Hey, what are you standing there for? Looking for a beating! Let's go!"

Xiao Li pouted, thinking to himself that only you hadn't heard the song, otherwise you would definitely have been stunned like me.

[If dreams always seem unattainable, should we give up?]

On the radio, Xiang Nan's voice grew increasingly louder, but it was always accompanied by a sense of suppression, making listeners' noses tingle.

Flowers bloom and fade, another season has come; where are you, spring?

Youth is like a rushing river, once gone, it never returns, leaving no time for farewell!

All that's left is numbness; the passion of yesteryear is gone.

"..."

The car fell silent again.

Xiao Li's eyes were slightly red as he smoked one cigarette after another.

In just three short minutes, it felt like he had sung the entirety of his life.

"Want more?"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

"No, no need."

Xiao Li didn't say anything more; the long-haired man clearly didn't smoke often.

Look at the flowers falling from the sky, withering at their most beautiful moment!

Who will remember that this world once existed?

Upon hearing this lyric, the long-haired man could no longer hold back and covered his face, bursting into tears.

Xiao Li's chest heaved violently, and his right hand gripping the steering wheel trembled slightly.

Xiang Nan's singing did not stop, but became increasingly heart-wrenching.

Have their initial wishes been fulfilled? Is all that's left now to mourn them?

[As time and the winds of change dry up my ideals, I can no longer find the real me!]

Looking up at the starry sky, I think of the one that kept me company back then.

Do you still remember the stories here?

"Ugh... Ah—ah—"

A suppressed sob rang out inside the car.

As if he had found an outlet, or as if he had truly been touched, the long-haired man's sobs grew increasingly hoarse.

"Sizzle—"

Xiao Li blew his nose, and two streams of hot tears silently slid down his cheeks.

If there is a tomorrow... I wish you well, my dear...

The guitar music fades, the rhythm gradually slows down, and the song finally comes to an end.

"..."

The radio station remained silent for a full ten seconds before Wu Zhoutong's voice, like a broken bellows, came through.

"This is truly a song that...touches the soul."

The voice of another host, Han Li, also rang out.

"Thank you, Xiang Nan, for your wonderful performance!"

"Thank you everyone, thank you host."

Xiao Li sniffed and glanced sideways at the radio station.

When he first heard that Xiang Nan was a newcomer, he was somewhat dismissive. Now, however, he suddenly became very interested in Xiang Nan's story and the story behind the song.

He glanced at the rearview mirror; the customer was looking up at the roof of the car, seemingly calming down.

At this point, radio host Wu Zhoutong also regained his composure.

"Xiang Nan, I'm very curious, you're only eighteen years old, how did you manage to write such a... well, a song that touches the soul?"

"You can't find any adjectives, can you?"

"Don't sabotage me, Han Li!"

"hehe……"

Xiang Nan smiled on the radio, instantly attracting the attention of the two people in the car.

"Actually, I'm only eighteen years old, so naturally I don't have that experience or understanding."

"He's a friend of mine, a very ordinary guy, extremely ordinary. He comes from an ordinary family, has an ordinary education, an ordinary job, and an ordinary life. He's been an ordinary guy his whole life."

"I suppose your friend is middle-aged?"

"Ordinary—that's the daily life of a middle-aged person."

Xiao Li was taken aback; Xiang Nan's words reminded him of himself.

Aren't I just running around all day, living a monotonous life?

Every day I go to get off work and come home, enjoying a warm bed with my wife and kids.

"So, the question comes back to us. Remember what we were talking about at the beginning? What's the name of this song?"

"Haha, Xiang Nan, you're making it sound like I'm the guest and you're the host."

The other host, Han Li, chuckled and took over the conversation.

"Let me, Han Li, go first. This song revolves around regret, dreams, and youth. In that case, I boldly guess the song title is—Old Boy!"

"No, Han Li, you cheated! Did you look at the script?"

"Hahaha……"

The radio programs have returned to their normal style, but the feelings of many listeners remain lingering.

Old Boys?

How fitting!

Isn't that just like the old boy? Those children with dreams and innocence grow old in the blink of an eye.

Childhood memories remain, and childhood dreams are also buried in those memories.

"call……"

Outside the taxi, the long-haired man closed the door, pulled out a 100-yuan bill, and handed it over.

"We don't need that many, we don't have enough change, customer."

The long-haired man smiled warmly: "Consider it a friendly gesture; I'll treat you to a pack of good cigarettes as a way of repaying the favor of that one."

"I can't accept it."

The long-haired man didn't try to persuade him any further. He threw the money on the back seat, turned around, and left.

"Eh!"

As soon as Xiao Li opened the car door, the long-haired man walked away in a few steps, waving his hand with his back to Xiao Li.

"Remember, it's okay to lose your dreams. Be good to yourself. Keep going, stranger."

"..."

Holding the Mao Zedong banknote, Xiao Li's eyes welled up with tears again.

The same thing happens everywhere in this city. The plots may be different, but what they have in common is that they are all feeling emo.

What kind of lousy radio station is this? They made this muscle-bound guy cry?

Definitely deserves a bad review!

That night, BJ Music Radio's phone lines were ringing off the hook, as were Xiang Nan's.

The next day, at the Condor Heroes Film City.

Yifei arrived at the film set early in the morning. While getting her makeup done, her eyelids were still a little droopy, so she simply opened her phone and started browsing the news.

"Huh? You big blockhead!"

The eighth news headline on Sina.com caught her eye.

[Breaking News! Rising star singer Xiang Nan moved millions to tears with his song!]

"Wow, that's amazing, you big blockhead!"

Yifei's eyebrows curved into a sweet smile.

You're working really hard, you big blockhead!

"Um……"

She suppressed her joy, glanced at Liu's mother playing on her phone not far away, and a determined look appeared in her eyes.

I need to work harder too!

Brave Sisi, not afraid of Mommy!